Halloween Half Marathon 2015

#20 is done!

Like most of my half marathons, there's never a real training plan. But I figured this was a good race to kick start my Dopey training (ugh). That's another story. I feel majorly behind on training, and feel like there's no way I can do it. I bet it's going to be super flat, which I hate, and I'm not sure if it will be humid.

Anyways, the weather for the Halloween Half was awesome. I would have liked some overcast skies, but the temperature was perfect.

Race Start.

I started out PR pace... and then I felt foolish and slowed down.

Mile 1: 9:20
Mile 2: 9:26
Mile 3: 9:37
Mile 4: 9:32

I was finding my groove... and then I tripped at mile 4.5. I yelled, "SHIT" as I went down. It killed my ego, but then I was like, fuck you pothole!

Mile 5: 9:31
Mile 6: 9:25
Mile 7: 9:29
Mile 8: 9:50
Mile 9: 9:44

The climb up Broadway was hard... then it was another incline up Pestalozzi.

Here is my crazy face, when I feel I've been running too long. Mile 9.5.

Mile 10: 10:35
Mile 11: 9:33
Mile 12: 10:08
Mile 13: 10:31
Mile .28: 8:48

Finish Line.

Yup, I tanked during the last 4 miles. So, like I always say, this is why I need to train! For those last 4 miles!!! I finished with a 9:51 pace.

Finish!

Flint Ridge Trail 10 Mile

This was the inaugural Flint Ridge Trail race, and the first race in the Big River Running Trail Series. You could chose between the 4 mile or the 10 mile race. I signed up for the 10 mile race to be eligible for the Trail Series (you tally points from each race, including the Flint Ridge, Skippo and Castlewood Cup).

It took me around an hour to get from home to the race location. I got there plenty early, got an awesome parking spot, picked up my bib and shirt, and then I had a little over an hour before the race start. That part sucked, but I was able to catch up on some work in my car (sounds horrible).

I've never run these trails before, so I had no idea what to expect. So I just told myself to have fun with it. This is not a competition, rather I'm just going to enjoy being out of the City and enjoy being mentally away from some things that have been bothering me.

I started in the 10:00 pace group, near the back. We started and the trail was pretty flat! I was having a lot of fun. Then around mile 2, we started to see some inclines. We also ran through a swarm of hornets, and I got stung by one on my leg. That sucked a lot. I've never been stung by a hornet before. The next mile, it was pretty hilly, and a bit challenging, but I was running with a group and that kept me going. I knew that the course would do a loop after we passed the finish line at the 4 mile. I was psyching myself for when or if we'd have to run through that portion again. Luckily, at 5.5 miles, we made a turn right before the hornet incident.

Smiling, knowing that I wasn't going near the hornets again.
And yes, walking...

The next miles were really peaceful. A lot of people had finished their 4 mile race, so the trail wasn't as packed (and we were more spread out). I was feeling really good, and the miles just kept going by. I did start walking some portions, but I was just really thirsty.  I should have brought my water bottle.

Flint Ridge Trail.

I finished in 1:49:27. I thought I did really well! The course didn't measure out to a full 10 miles, rather it was 9.25 on my watch. I then saw that I placed 145/168... so I didn't do all that well. Bottom 86%, hmmm. I placed 10/12 in my sex/age group.

Smiling at the Finish!

Anyways, I'm happy with the results. Trail running isn't easy, especially when you see people tripping in front of you and the hornet sting didn't help much.

SW #5

Definitely a case of FOMO....

But I'm in for 2016.

KT82

The weather in St. Louis had been beautiful. 70s, no humidity, pleasant. Then of course we'd get a heat wave. I was the first runner and started at 5:30 am. It was dark and humid. I only had to run 2.3 miles and it was hard only because of the humidity. The course was fun. I enjoyed running a grass trail that was illuminated by glow sticks. I also did not run with music on this leg and it was peaceful listening to the sounds of nature. I finished this leg with a 9:32 pace.

I started my second leg at 9:20 am. I had been sitting in a van for the 3.5 hours since my last leg. I was feeling okay, but was worried about the heat. This leg was rated as difficult. I couldn't understand why for the first 3 miles. It was a gravel road. Most of it was shaded, so it wasn't all that bad. The route then turned into single track, and that's where the fun began. However, I had to walk the majority of it because it was rather difficult. Large rocks, steep ups and downs, lots of tripping hazards. The trail zigzagged around a creek, and it was just beautiful. I finished with an 11:44 pace.

Finishing my 2nd leg.

My last leg sucked. I started running at 2:05. It was now in the mid-90s and it felt terrible outside. This leg was just on the Katy Trail, so it wasn't all that interesting. And a majority of it was in the sun. I walked while I was in the sun... my head was hurting so bad and I seriously thought I could get heat stroke. I was the first one to finish running, and it felt so good!! I cracked open a beer and it tasted so good. We made our way to Hermann. This was my first time in Hermann (but it didn't feel like my first time). I must have been there when I was younger. I really enjoyed stopping at all the old railroad towns along the way.

Team finish.

This is the best team finish photo we got... and they took 10 of us at the finish. They really need to redo their layout, or hire a new photographer.

We finished the 82 mile relay in 12:03:23. A pace of 8:50. I had some fast runners on my team! It was a lot of fun! I just wish we had cooler weather. And here is a better finish photo:

Team 82 Problems but the KT ain't 1

SeaWheeze 2015

I've run the SeaWheeze every year since the inception back in 2012. I want to start by saying that I LOVE the SeaWheeze. I highly recommend it to all my runner friends, but this year just SUCKED for me.

I arrived to the SeaWheeze Showcase Store at 4:30 am Pacific time. This didn't seem that early to me since I get up at 6 am Central most days. 

Waiting in line...

I did feel a little crazy, but I met some really nice people in line. Also, my husband is a trooper for coming with me. I got into the store around 7:15 am, and there was still a lot of merchandise available. I grabbed what I "thought" I wanted and like everyone else, reevaluated my collection on the floor. 

SeaWheeze Showcase Store.

I got exactly what I wanted, the bug speed shorts and a couple swiftlys. I'm just so irritated with this "fear of missing out" mentality. I was literally more stressed about the SeaWheeze store experience than the half marathon. How is that even rational? I was only in the store for an hour, and had a hassle free check out. There was another small wait to pick up the race packet. It wasn't an issue for me.

My goodies!

There was hardly any wait to get the spray tattoo and my hair done, so I was able to do both this year! I haven't in the past since the lines were way too long. 

SeaWheeze fun!

I tried to join in on the nooner yoga, but I just couldn't get into it. What's wrong with me? I LOVE yoga. It was a bit chilly out, so I just didn't give it a chance. I packed up my mat and left. (I know, I sound like a Debbie Downer). I had intentions to go to the sunset yoga, but again, the weather was too chilly for me so I skipped. I'm used to 90 deg, high humidity weather...

Race morning came early (as always). The weather was calling for rain, so I left my phone at the hotel and took my nano. Therefore, I left my good music behind and listened to an old playlist (booooring). 

Race start.

The weather ended up being perfect. Amazing running weather.

Obligatory Photo. Cloudy, cool weather.

I started out way too fast, and felt good! I was thinking maybe this would be my fastest SeaWheeze, but then the wall hit. And it hit hard... at mile 6.5. So from there on, I ran/walked. This was sort of close to the hotel, and I really contemplated just stopping. Josh passed me up and he was looking good. I just felt like a big, fat loser. And then I started thinking about the Disney Dopey shitshow that will take place in January. I kept telling myself that there is NO WAY I will be able to do it. Thinking about that just made it worse for me. 

Ugggg. Pretty ugly.

I was so miserable running. SeaWheeze volunteers and crowd are just so amazing. I might not have looked like it, but I really did appreciate them. (Sorry if I seemed like an asshole, but my mind was not in a good place).

Anyways, maybe we need races like this? I had a pretty good fight with myself, and my husband made me super proud. I'm usually dragging him to the finish line, but he totally kicked my ass in this race. I felt like total shit at the finish. My heart was so sore, and I was exhausted. I checked my heart rate and I was in peak the majority of the race (1 hour, 5 minutes). This is not normal for me. The half marathon that I ran back in April (and kicked ass), my HR was in peak for only 15 minutes. I felt nauseous at the finish, so this is what my race finish photo looks like:

PATHETIC!

I don't even have a finish photo with my husband (boo)!!! The walk back to the hotel was pretty awful. I was puking and freezing. NOT COOL. I'm kicking myself now, but I didn't go to the Sunset Festival. I just didn't have the energy to get there. I've loved every Sunset Festy that I've been to, so I'm bummed that I didn't attend. 

Anyways, I'm not certain if I'll sign up for SeaWheeze 2016. Lululemon put on another awesome event, so it makes it hard to not go again. It really is one of my favorite running events. See, here I go again... fear of missing out...

Ferguson Twilight Run 2015

This race was very tough. I started out fast, but just after the first mile, I started run/walking. Seriously. My legs felt super heavy. I actually thought to myself that I could just quit the race entirely.

But, I'm stubborn.

That above it the shittiness that I went through. I actually got in a good stride after the 3.5 mark, and that's because it's downhill. The first 3 miles is basically a whole lot of uphill.

My fav. part of the race. The lady pointed at me and said, "You just ran a 10K."

I finished in 1:00:23. So glad to have this race done. It was great to be out in Ferguson though, and kind of surreal running by the Police Department. I always thought this town was quaint, and the news just makes it sound so ugly. I love Ferguson (but I kinda hate running it, too hilly, lol).

Lovely.

Cowbell Uncorked 100k 2015

I ran this relay last year, and it was a blast. You can read my post here: Uncorked 100k Relay 2014.

I didn't think I was going to get to do the relay this year since it's pretty hard to get a team together. This year instead of 4 runners, it was 5. I was able to find a team looking for a runner the Tuesday before the race.

The race was a bit different than last year. We each ran the same legs: a 10k and two 5ks. The start/finish to each leg was at the same location. Last year, we had to drive to each start/finish, and all runners ran different legs and had different distances. This year, we set up "camp" for the day. I really enjoyed the base camp... it was nice to be "off road."

We started the race at 7:30 am, and I was the 3rd in line. The first leg was down a pretty steep hill, out on the Katy for 3 miles, a loop around Augusta, and back. It was so humid when I started. Plus I was running a bit too fast, so I was feeling it. My first mile was 8:42 and my second mile was 8:45. I then hit the hills in Augusta and slowed down. On my way back to the base camp, it started to lightly rain.

Transition.

It then started to pour...and it rained hard basically the rest of the relay. Therefore, we had to hang under the shelter. There were a lot of other activities that I really wanted to do, but the rain kept me away. One of our teammates could only run the 10k, so we only had four runners for the last 2 legs. Therefore, two runners had to run one of the legs twice. Luckily, that wasn't me. :)

The second leg, it poured hard. The trail was so soggy, so I did walk quite a bit. They shortened the distance from a 5k to 2.7 miles... which was my distance. Soon after, they shortened that leg to 2.3 because of the trail conditions. I had a blast running in the rain and in the mud though.

2nd Leg.

The third leg was hard. My legs were super heavy and I was tired. It was another out and back down the Katy, but in the opposite direction from the first leg. I kept telling myself that it was only a 5k. I managed to keep an okay pace.

I was the first runner to finish my legs. It was so nice, especially since I was the finisher in last year's relay. In the end, I ran 12 miles in 2:00:32. It took the team 9:57:19 to finish the relay. It's crazy how fast it goes.

The team was super awesome! I hope I can do this again next year!

Team Guided by Grapes, minus 1.